Abdominal pain has a long list of possible causes, from minor and self-limiting to occasionally serious. The art of assessment is sorting which is which efficiently. Private consultation lets you have a proper conversation, examination, blood tests, and often same-day ultrasound — rather than weeks of separate appointments.
Educational information — not a substitute for clinical assessment
This page describes abdominal pain in general terms to help you decide whether assessment may be helpful. It is not a diagnostic tool. If you recognise yourself in what follows, please book a consultation.
Where the pain is helps narrow what’s causing it. A useful way to think about your abdomen is dividing it into nine areas, or simpler four-quadrant thinking:
Pain across the whole abdomen suggests irritable bowel, gastroenteritis, or rarely more serious diffuse processes.
Call 999 or go to A&E if abdominal pain comes with:
• Severe, sudden-onset pain
• Rigid, board-like abdomen
• Vomiting blood or material like coffee grounds
• Passing fresh blood or black tarry stools
• Severe persistent vomiting
• Fever with severe pain
• Fainting or collapse
• Severe one-sided pain in a woman who could be pregnant
• Pain with chest pain or shortness of breath
• Pain after significant injury
Same-day GP assessment is appropriate for: severe pain that’s not settling, persistent vomiting, fever with pain, unexplained weight loss, change in bowel habit lasting weeks, blood in stool, severe pain during pregnancy.
Location, onset, duration, pattern, character (dull, sharp, colicky), associations (food, bowel motions, periods), relieving and aggravating factors, weight changes, bowel habit, urinary symptoms, gynaecological history (women), travel history, medications, alcohol, family history of GI conditions or cancer.
Abdominal examination (looking, feeling, listening), rectal examination where appropriate (with consent and chaperone), pelvic examination in women if gynaecological cause suspected, general examination.
What we test depends on the picture; see the next section. Often results come back within days.
Treatment, watchful waiting, or referral to specialist. We give you a clear written summary.
For findings that warrant specialist input — gastroenterology, gynaecology, urology, surgery.
Treatment depends entirely on cause:
IBS is one of the most common causes of chronic abdominal pain we see. Diagnosis requires:
IBS is a clinical diagnosis but requires exclusion of conditions that mimic it (coeliac, IBD, bowel cancer in older patients). After diagnosis, treatment focuses on dietary management (low FODMAP, fibre adjustment), stress and sleep, anti-spasmodic medication, probiotics, and where helpful gut-directed CBT or hypnotherapy.
Consider booking if:
Usually within 1–3 days for non-urgent pain; same-day for severe pain (we’d want to assess and may refer to A&E if needed).
Depends entirely on the clinical picture. Some patients need just history and examination; others need a combination of blood tests, ultrasound, and sometimes endoscopy. We discuss what’s appropriate for you.
Ultrasound is usually available same-day for abdominal pain assessment — we have an in-house sonographer with daily availability. Endoscopy through our gastroenterology referral pathway is usually within 1–2 weeks privately.
IBS is still worth proper assessment — both to rule out conditions that mimic it (coeliac, IBD, sometimes cancer in older patients) and to make a clear diagnosis with treatment plan. Many people with "IBS" benefit from this kind of fuller assessment.
Most abdominal pain in pregnancy is benign (round ligament, indigestion, constipation, normal pregnancy changes). But some causes (ectopic, infection, appendicitis, placental issues) need prompt assessment. If you’re pregnant and have new significant abdominal pain, get assessed.
Food intolerances (lactose, fructose, FODMAP-sensitive) commonly cause abdominal pain and bloating. Assessment includes considering these and trialling elimination diets where appropriate.
Not everyone — only if specific features suggest the bowel needs to be examined directly (e.g. blood in stool, change in bowel habit lasting weeks, family history, older patient with new symptoms).
Sometimes happens. After appropriate investigation, no specific cause may be found — this is often a functional cause (IBS, functional dyspepsia, abdominal wall pain) which is itself treatable. We don’t leave you in limbo; we’ll explain what we’ve excluded and the next steps.
Care at MHW Clinic is delivered by a small clinical team, with Dr Haydar Bolat as Clinical Director. The specific clinicians involved in your care depend on the plan agreed with you at consultation.
UK-registered GP and Clinical Director at MHW. Conducts abdominal pain assessment including history, examination, ordering and interpreting blood tests and ultrasound, and referring to gastroenterology, gynaecology or surgery as needed.
View profileLanguages spoken across the team: English, Turkish, Bulgarian, Bengali, Hindi, Albanian, Azerbaijani, German, Romanian. We can also arrange professional telephone interpreters in most other languages at no extra cost. More on languages and interpreters →
This page was reviewed by Dr Haydar Bolat, Clinical Director at MHW Clinic. Content is based on NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries on dyspepsia, irritable bowel syndrome, gallstones, and current UK clinical practice. NICE NG12 informs cancer-related red flag handling. and current UK clinical practice. It is updated when guidance changes. Educational information only — not a substitute for clinical assessment.
Book a longer consultation that includes proper examination and investigation. Most patients leave knowing more than they have from many previous visits.